How to Stop Falling Short of Success (Part 1 of 2)

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Almost famous. Almost successful. Almost an author. Almost married. Many of us, including myself, have found ourselves in a seemingly never-ending cycle of working to attain a goal, seeing progress, and then, right before we reach it—things come to a halt. For one reason or another, through circumstances either within or outside of our control, our mission is aborted. Our dreams are then placed back on the shelf of things to do “someday.”

So the question is, why does this keep happening? Why do we keep falling short of achieving our goals? The answers may vary, but listed below are two of four reasons, and what you can do to overcome them.

1. Fear and Uncertainty

When making progress toward a goal, you may deal with issues or enter areas that you are unfamiliar with. Because of this, you may have many questions about what to do next, as well as some fear of the things that you may not yet know. This fear, coupled with the many unanswered questions you have regarding your next steps, will leave you in a state of stagnancy.

Solution: Know that fear is not real.

Fear derives from our own minds coming up with the worst-case scenarios, which are mostly unrealistic, and feeling strongly that those things will happen. Instead of focusing on the negative, focus on the outcome of success, and what you need to do to get to that point.

Secondly, don’t wait to get answers to your questions. When you sit on your ask, nothing gets done. Not having the answers of how to move forward will leave you stuck. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find others who have experience or who are knowledgeable about your area of focus, and seek their input. Find organizations that focus on your area of interest and hear what other people are experiencing. Often, you may realize that you are not the only one with questions.

2. Self-Sabotage

Have you ever missed a deadline, written a horrible proposal, or failed to follow-up with a client or partner, and had a seemingly convincing reason (that could have been avoided) as to why? Well this, my friend, is self-sabotage. Self-sabotage is also brought about by fear. However, most of the time, it is the fear of succeeding. We see we’re making strides, and we know that if we keep moving forward, clientele may begin to pick up exponentially, and a full-fledged business will be born. But, that will bring on more responsibility and a deeper commitment. Consequently, we fear that. So we do things, be it consciously or subconsciously, that are detrimental to progress.

Solution: Keep moving forward.

Stay consistent in your actions, and take pride in the fact that what you’re doing is getting noticed. Don’t worry about business picking up. Begin identifying areas that can be delegated to someone else or automated, and then find the resources to help you. Sites like internships.com will help you to tap into resources for little to no pay.

Finally, be comfortable with growth. It is part of the process, if you’re doing things right. Grab success by the horns, and enjoy the ride!

Stay tuned for my next post, as I tackle the next two reasons—self-doubt and external oppositions—and how to overcome them.

This article was written by Alicia Bowens.

Alicia Bowens is a visionary expert, an IT specialist, sought after speaker, author, coach, business owner, and radio host. She specializes in helping teen and single mothers achieve their dreams via her coaching programs, books, and workshops.